


Haunted Kisses

by TwilightsPrince



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Minor Kougami Shinya/Tsunemori Akane, One Shot Collection, Post-Season/Series 01, Season/Series 02, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightsPrince/pseuds/TwilightsPrince
Summary: Ginazo and Inspector Tsunemori struggle to come to terms with losing the ones they love. Haunted by the memories they end up finding comfort with each other and learn how to move on together.A series of one-shots of what happened while Kougami was gone over the past eight years.
Relationships: Ginoza Nobuchika & Tsunemori Akane, Ginoza Nobuchika/Tsunemori Akane, Kougami Shinya/Tsunemori Akane
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first time Akane and Nobuchika kiss.

Two months had passed and things were beginning to get back to normal. Well, normal wasn't the right word for him but it's Division 1 normal. Two inspectors, enforcers, another case to handle. To the outside world everything ended when the riots did but to Ginazo, that was the most crucial moment of where everything went to hell.

There was no word from Ko and he didn't expect there to be. As long as he was alive, that was enough for Ginazo to continue on. And while his status had changed drastically, so did his outlook on things. Tsunemori was no longer a rookie detective, she was his superior and someone he would protect. And she was probably the only other person who understood the pain he felt when the dust began to settle.

He had begun to drink when he was off duty. It wasn't intentional but he found his dad's old bottle of whiskey when he was clearing out his room. He never drank before, it was said to cloud one's hue but none of that mattered now. It was a little after eight and his shift had just ended. He went to the enforcers lounge area where he grabbed the half drunk bottle of whiskey he had left sitting on the counter. No one had touched it. It was an unspoken rule not to touch Ginazo's liquor.

He unscrewed the cap, taking a swig from the bottle itself as he sat down on the sofa. He leaned back, closing his eyes, focusing on the burning liquid that went down his throat and warmed his body. He found out pretty quickly that he wasn't a lightweight much to his surprise so a single sip wasn't going to do it. But he hated the taste of the stuff so downing enough to feel it was a bit of a challenge. He brought the bottle up to his lips again, taking as big of a sip as he could manage without making himself cough it all back up. As he pulled the bottle away the chirping sound of his wristcom went off. With an irritated sigh Ginazo tapped the device to see who it was. There weren't any huge cases at the moment so there should be no reason for him to be called back into work.

Inspector Tsunemori's name popped up on the holo and he set the bottle down on the coffee table before answering it. "Inspector?"

"Where are you?" came her sharp voice and he winced slightly at the tone. He didn't need to see her face to know something or someone had angered her.

"In the enforcer lounge. Is something wro-" before he could finish his sentence the call had ended and he let out another heavy sigh, grabbing the bottle and taking another gulp. If she was coming in here angry like that then he was definitely going to need the whiskey. But at least it wasn't Shimotsuki. Just a few weeks and Ginazo could already tell working with her was going to be a handful.

Taking one last sip before he set the bottle down he went to loosen up his tie, taking the glove off of his metal hand. He was still getting used to the appendage. It was a lot stronger than a normal arm and slightly heavier, making his weight shift more to the left than he'd like.

There was a soft click and he looked up at the door to the small inspector entering. Gino straightened his back, giving her a puzzling look as she stormed toward him. She stopped right in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, her legs practically bumping up against his knees as she glared down at him. "How long have you been drinking?" She asked.

Oh. It made sense now. One of the newbie enforcers must have made some comment about him drinking and she caught on. "What I do off the clock isn't your business, Inspector" he tried to say in a kind tone but it sounded more dry and cold than it did kindly. He understood her concern but this was a conversation he didn't want to be having at the moment.

"As a friend who cares about you, it is. How long?" She demanded.

"Who told you?" She was going to get more annoyed that he was avoiding the subject but perhaps stalling for tim would allow him to come up with a better excuse than 'drinking his sorrows away'

The brunette swiftly turned around to pick up the half empty bottle of whiskey. The blue MWPSB coat she wore hitting him in the face and he caught the faint smell of… Smoke? No. Cigarette smoke. When did she start smoking?  
"I could smell it on you this morning" She said as she held it up, still glaring at him. "Drinking isn't the solution."

He huffed, looking away from her "I don't want to discuss this."

"Fine." She said in a far too cheery tone and that concerned him. The brunette walked around the couch, heading toward the kitchen area with the bottle in hand and Ginazo immediately shot up, going after her.

"What are you doing?" he growled at her but she didn't stop, didn't even look at him as she headed to the sink. He practically jumped over the couch to be able to reach her in time, grabbing the bottle before she could pour it out. "Don't."

Her brown eyes looked up at him with determination. "Are you going to stop?"

"Akane-Chan." He said in a low warning, eyes narrowing.

"Nobuchika-Kun." She mimicked his tone of voice. "You're better than this."

Gino glared darkly at her but let go of the bottle. "Fine. But you have to stop smoking as well."

Her eyes went wide and there was a soft pinkish tint to her cheeks before she quickly looked away from him, sitting the bottle down on the counter. Her shoulders slouched slightly and the fierce woman he was having an argument with was no more. "I'm not smoking." She muttered quietly.

"I can smell it on your jacket." He said softly, his own posture relaxing slightly as he placed his prosthetic arm on her shoulder.

Akane shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor. "The smell reminds me of him."

She reminded him of the small girl he saw so long ago on her first. "I miss him too." He said softly and she looked up at him, wiping tears away that have yet to roll down her face, giving him a sad smile.

"I'm okay though. You don't need to worry about me Ginazo-San."

"I do. Because we're friends." He repeated the words she had used just a few moments ago, giving her a small, almost sheepish, smile.

Without warning she wrapped her slender arms around his torso, burying her face into his chest. Her body was pressed tightly against his and he awkwardly returned the gesture, staring down at her small figure. Ginazo was never particularly good with emotions or how to handle other people and their emotions. So he tried his best to comfort her. His flesh hand came up to stroke her hair softly and she felt him squeeze him tighter followed by the muffled sound of her sniffing. A few moments were spent with him awkwardly holding her before she loosened her grip on him, pulling her head away from his chest to look up at him.  
Perhaps she wasn't expecting him to be staring down at her but when she pulled away to look up, their faces were now inches apart. He could feel the exhale of her breath against his lips and he was suddenly aware of the sweet smelling shampoo she wore. Neither pulled away and he looked up, his eyes meeting hers and he saw the same curiosity in hers that he felt.

She made the move. He was too terrified to have it become more than an idea in the back of his head. She lifted herself up on to her tip toes, eyes drifting down to his lips as she leaned in but she hesitated. That was enough for him to get the courage to close the cap between them. He captured her lips with his and it was a tender, gentle kiss. Slow and timid, both seemingly too scared to move to quickly. She tasted sweet like strawberries and he was suddenly self conscious about how he smelled and tasted.  
The kiss ended faster than it began and both enforcer and inspector were staring wide eyed at the other. His cheeks felt warm and hers was a soft rosy color. "I-I have to get back to work." She stammered, taking several steps back, running her hands down her jacket and shirt to straighten it up. "No more drinking." She said quickly before running out of the room. And he was left wondering if that really just happened.

Did he just kiss Akane Tsunemori, his inspector? The girl that was nearly a decade younger than he was. He really was turning into Ko….


	2. Second Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the case leads him and the inspector to a small club in the abandoned zone things get a bit heated between them.

Neither of them had spoken about the kiss since it happened. Perhaps that was because he was avoiding her when his shift ended. He wasn't sure what to say to her, what do you say when you end up accidentally kissing your coworker? But it wasn't just him, she hadn't sought him out either. So perhaps both of them were unsure of what to say to the other. But faint seemed to be taunting him. 

There was a small string of killings in the abandoned zones and Division 1 had began investigating them. Shion had dug up a connection between an unregulated nightclub within the area and the victims. Akane-Chan of course wanted to check it out herself and she was opposed to bringing in a whole team into the place. She even suggested going alone but thankfully not only did he object but so did Togane and the rest of the enforcers. There was no way in hell they would let her go to a place that was tied to the deaths of several young women. 

"I'm armed, I'll be fine." Was her weak argument. Shimotsuki even sided with the enforcers about how bad of an idea that was. So finally she relented and decided to take an enforcer with her with Karanormori listening in as back up. 

"I just wanted to get the feel of the place." Came her annoyed voice as she drove the car. "I don't need protection."

Gino sighed, she was always so stubborn. "If this was any other case I could probably agree with you. But the nature of the killings as well as the profiles of the women, it makes you a target. That is, if we're correct in thinking he frequents this club." 

"I know." She huffed, "I just--I feel like I'm still the rookie when it comes to these things. Both you and Kunizuka hardly seem to let me out of your sight."

"You're our inspector, it's our job to protect you." he pointed out. 

"If you two are done bickering." Came the smooth voice of Shion over their coms. "Then I'd like to point out that both of you look more like cops than a couple headed to a nightclub."

"Oh! Right" the brunette beside him said as she grabbed her purse and pulled out a small compact mirror.

"Will taking my jacket and tie off do?" he asked, even if he had changed before, he didn't exactly have clothes in his closet for this sort of thing. 

There was a sigh from his com, "I guess that'll have to do. Maybe ruffle up your shirt and mess up your hair a bit."

"E-excuse me?" The shirt he could do but his hair was fine as it was. "My hair looks fine."

A small laugh came from beside him and he looked over to see Akane now wearing a tight, dark blue dress. Thin spaghetti straps showed off her pale shoulders and collarbone and she wore a small dainty necklace blue necklace. "I didn't know you were so strict with your hair, Gino-san."

He forced himself to tear his gaze away from her as he worked on getting his tie off. "I'm not. I just don't see anything wrong with how it is now."

When they arrived in the abandoned Zone Ginoza was able to hide his dominator underneath his untucked button up shirt. The inspector wouldn't be able to carry hers but at least one of them had one just in case. When the brunette got out of the car she walked over towards him, hands reaching to touch his hair but he managed to back away, grabbing her small wrist in his hands. "I like my hair."

"Please?" She asked, giving him the smallest of pouts and he sighed, lowering his head for her. He couldn't say no to her when she got like that and she knew it. One time he caught her smuggling Kagari sweets and he was in the process of scolding her when she gave him that look and he just huffed at the rookie inspector and walked away. 

He felt her ruffle up his hair before pulling out the small plastic band he had holding his hair back. He felt her fingers run through his hair and it made him shiver, pulling himself away. "Alright, that should be fine." He said as he cleared his throat. 

"If kogami-San saw you now he would be in shock." She said with a faint smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

He offered his arm to her "The bastard is probably having more fun than we are."

She looped her arm through his and they began walking to the club not too far down the street. "I hope so" she muttered.

He wasn't sure what else to say to her so he just kept quiet. Ginoza could hear the steady beat of the music as they got closer to the revenue. Several people closer to Akane's age were outside chatting and smoking their cigarettes. One man in particular, a scruffy look guy with blonde hair ran his eyes suggestively over her body and Gino sent a cold glare to the man. He definitely wasn't going to let her out of his line of sight tonight. Not with these type of people. 

They walked through the doors and into the crowded venue. Loud music was playing as people danced and mingled. There was a haze to the place and he could smell not only the tobacco but the liquor as well. The lights held a purplish tint giving off an upbeat vibe to the otherwise dark place. Figuring the best place to start and thinking he could use a drink to loosen himself up a bit, Gino pulled them toward the bar. 

"No. Absolutely not." came the firm tone of the brunette as she tried to plant her feet firmly to the ground once she had realized where he was taking them. "You are not drinking Ginoza-san" 

Gino unlooped his arm from hers, continuing to the bar knowing she would have to follow "How else am I supposed to loosen up?" 

"Come on Akane-Chan." Shion spoke into their ear piece they were wearing. "Let him have some fun."

He gave her an apologetic smile and she huffed. "Fine. One but no more."

He turned away from her to walk up to the bar. Ordering a drink for both him and Akane. Might as well go all the way if they were pretending to be part of the crowd. She had walked up beside him by the time the man came back with a drink for them two and Ginoza handed her a small class of fizzy liquid. "Might as well look the part" he said as he took a sip of the whiskey. Maybe he was developing a taste to the bitter liquid… 

The inspector looked down at her glass curiously before hesitantly taking a sip. She scrunched up her face shaking he head slightly at the taste and he had to cover his mouth, stifling a small laugh at her reaction. She just gave him a half hearted glare before pulling him away from the bar, further into the crowd of people. He was going to need a lot more than one sip to feel comfortable in this place. Everywhere he looked he saw people dancing and grinding against each other. The tables near the edge of the building were all occupied leaving them awkwardly standing amongst the crowd. 

He could hear Shion nagging at them again to at least try to blend in. And for a brief moment he found himself asking what Ko would do in this type of situation. Already knowing the answer to it, Gino downed his Whiskey. taking the inspector's drink from her hand and placing it on a nearby table before he grabbed her by her arm, pulling her further into the crowd. "Gino-san!" She said in a suprise tone and he felt a smirk tug at his lips at her reaction. 

He wasn't much of a dancer, in fact he was terrible. But these people werentt really even dancing. When he found a spot that was less crowded he pulled her close to him, placing his flesh arm on her waist as he did his best to just go with the music. "There, now we at least look like we belong." he said to her. 

Her cheeks were a soft red and he pretended not to notice as she placed her hands on his shoulders, letting herself sway to the beat as she began to scan the crowd. "How could someone kidnap someone from such a busy place?" She asked curiously. 

"Drug them, follow a girl out who had too much to drink. There is plenty of ways unfortunately. Crimes like that aren't common anymore but dad used to talk about those types of cases he'd get" He trailed off, remember the rare times he'd actually listen or ask his father about the cases he was on before the system came to be. Gino shook his head, shoving those thoughts aside. He didn't want to think about how just a few months ago he was yelling at his dad for asking about his hue or telling him to stay out of things and now he didn't have that.. 

The same blonde haired man as before caught his attention. He was now in the back of the room, taking a sip from a glass bottle as his eyes scanned over the crowd. But it had lingered on Tsunemori twice in the short amount of time Ginoza had noticed him. All of the thoughts about his father were pushed aside as a new feeling came flooding in. He held her just a bit tighter, never taking his eyes off of the man as they made eye contact. And he knew immediately he was the guy they were after. Akane would probably see it as a detectives intuition but Gino didn't need that to know what kind of person he was. He knew scum like him in High school. "I found him." He said quietly. 

"What? Ho-" She tried to turn her head to look behind her but he stopped her in her tracks when he cupped her jaw with his gloved hand. He broke eye contact with the man in favor of looking down at her.

"Don't look. He's watching." He said seriously, leaning in close to her, their noses nearly touching. To anyone else it would look like they were having an intimate moment instead of talking about a potential serial killer. "He's been watching you since we came in here."

"And you're sure that's our guy?" She asked. 

"Yes." He replied firmly. 

Her hands that were wrapped around his neck moved down to his chest. And he was trying to process what she was doing when he felt her hips start to sway a little more in time with the music before twisting around in his arms. She pressed her back firmly against him, continuing to sway with the music. "what does he look like?" She asked calmly. And he wasn't sure if he could sound as composed as she was. 

He had her pressed up against him, hands on her hips as his lips were centimeters away from her neck. He could smell her flowery shampoo in her hair. Ginoza had never been someone who was very physical. That was more Ko but he couldn't help the sensation he felt with her backside pressed against his groin as she swayed to the music. "Blonde hair." He said far too quickly and in an octave higher than he normally would have.

His breath brushed against her bare neck and he felt her shiver just slightly. "Karanormori-San, can you identify him?" She asked and he heard the slight hitch in her voice as well. 

"Just give me a moment." Shion said through their ear piece. 

Gino's hand moved from her hip to press flat against her stomach, holding her close against him. He knew he was about to be in dangerous territory but he couldn't seem to pull himself away from her. It didn't help that she even leaned into him, tilting her head slightly to the right to expose more of her neck to him. He wanted to press his lips against her skin, to feel her shiver like she did before. "Tsunemori" He whispered against her ear and he felt her hand on the outside of his upper thigh, squeezing it slightly, giving her approval.

Gino dipped his head and-- "Hiroshi Soma. A local factory worker." Came Karanormori's voice and both of them jumped, nearly pulling away from the other. "Well, until recently that is. He was fired about a month ago."

"W-well I think that's enough for tonight." The brunette said quickly "We should keep tabs on him."

Gino nodded, standing up straight and looking everywhere else but her. "Good idea, Inspector. It's getting late anyway."

"Perhaps you should take Akane-Chan home… For safety reasons." She piped in and both Akane and his cheeks went red.

"Your shift is over for the night. Thank you, Karanormori-San" Akane said quickly as she turned around and headed toward the exit, Ginoza following close behind. 

"Aw, but things were just getting interesting." The women whined. 

What had gotten into him?


	3. Third times the charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginoza goes home with Akane...

If they hadn't been avoiding one another before, they definitely were now. Ginoza did his best to not be left alone with Tsunemori. Mainly because he was afraid of the awkward conversation that would follow. But his mind kept drifting back to the feeling of her hand on his thigh. Of the smell of her shampoo in her hair and the feeling of her body against his. It wasn't like him to be so stuck on things like that but for some reason, he was craving that intimacy. 

"Ginoza-San?" Hinakawa asked, followed by a tapping on his shoulder. 

Ginoza jumped, "y-yes?" he asked as he looked over at his colleague. His cheeks growing warm from being caught daydreaming.

"You were staring at the screen." The boy said with his hair in his face, "wanted to make sure you were okay." 

He nodded "I was just thinking. Thank you, Hinakawa-san." he straightened up, having to resist the urge to adjust the glasses that were no longer there. Old habits. A small glance from his computer and he could see Akane was watching him as well. When their eyes made contact and she realized she had been caught her cheeks flushed and she quickly went back to work. 

If Hinakawa noticed the exchange he didn't mention it, shrugging at Ginoza's reply and heading back to his own desk. Gino was going to have to find a way to get himself to stay focused. He could see Shion but was he willing to take that risk? Hell, the woman probably already knew more than he did about the situation between him and Tsunemori. But that didn't mean he wanted things to progress. Sleeping with your boss wasn't exactly a good idea, not to mention that he was also a late criminal. None of it was illegal but it also wasn't accepted… 

He quickly finished typing up a report of the most recent events when he heard the loud clack of someone's shoes on the hard floor. By the sound of the noises it seemed like they were angry and he looked up from his desk to see Shimotsuki walking in with a scowl on her face. He felt bad for the poor bastard that was going to be ripped into today by the angry inspector. "Tsunemori-San." She said as she walked over to Akane's desk, crossing her arms "Have you talked to Chief Kasei?" 

Everyone's attention was now focused on the two inspectors. It was hard not to eavesdrop in such a small room. Akane looked up from her desk to see the younger inspector "No, why?" 

Shimotsuki glanced around at the enforcers staring at them. "I need to discuss something with you." 

The shorter haired brunette took that as her cue to get up, following the younger inspector out of the room. Leaving everyone else to question what it was they were discussing. "Did someone piss her off again?" Togane asked. 

"Looks like it was the chief." Kunizuka spoke up, leaning back in her chair and shutting her eyes. "Maybe Tsunemori will dismiss us early for it."

Ginoza snorted, "It hasn't been that quiet around here to warren it. The half hour break we had from Shimotsuki is probably all we'll get."

Hinakawa nodded. "She always seems to be in a bad mood."

Gino thought back to the first time he had seen the young inspector. Has she always been this way or did losing her friend make her into such a serious person to deal with all the time? "To be fair, she lost her best friend at an early age in a brutal way. That would probably mess anyone up."

Kunizuka nodded, being the only Enforcer left on division one to have worked on the case. "Oryo. The case that made us aware of Makishima." She muttered.

Gino wasn't sure if Togane and Hinakawa were aware of that case. They were allowed to look into it but he wasn't sure if either ever did once they became part of division one. Not every enforcer wanted to know who they were replacing." Kougami made the connection." He said bitterly. "And I should have trusted his instinct."

Yayoi opened her mouth to say something just as both inspectors walked back into the room. It was better not to discuss such things around Akane. Ginoza noted she looked a bit flush after their talk. Did Karanormori say something to Shimotsuki about their distraction on the field? Did the Chief know? He couldn't imagine her ever wanting to do anything that would hurt Tsunemori's career. "Alright." She said, clasping her hands together, getting the attention of everyone. "Until this case is officially closed, Chief Kasei wants the inspectors of Division one to have the protection of an enforcer at all times. Meaning an enforcer will be accompanying us home and be with us when our shift has ended. I know this isn't ideal for you guys to have to spend your free time with us but we will be rotating enforcers. Tonight Togane will be with Shimotsuki and Ginazo will be with me and then Hinakawa and Kunizuka will be next." She said, giving everyone a small smile. "Let's just look at this as more motivation to get the case closed."

"I still don't understand why this is necessary." The younger inspector huffed and it all made sense to Gino now. There was no more avoiding one another. 

"You both are prime targets for our suspect." Togane replied. "I rather you have us then not and end up like his victims."

Ginoza decided to tune the conversation between him and Shimotsuki out. It didn't little to ease the young inspectors' doubts, only making her more irritated about needing help but Ginoza had expressed his concerns about the matter before. The supposed suspect already had his eye on Tsunemori. And all the victims had been young brunettes between 18 to 28 who lived alone. Leaving both of their inspectors as targets. 

Gino got up from his desk, walking over to Tsunemori "I'll go pack a small bag and let Shion know to watch over Dime."

She nodded, not looking up at him as she cleaned up a stack of papers on her desk. "Alright. My shift ends in about an hour so be ready by then." he nodded before heading out of the room. If he was honest though, he was glad Togane got Mika instead of Akane. There was something about the guy that made him uneasy when it came to Akane. 

* * *

She had told him to meet him in the underground garage. Dressed in his usual work attire along with a duffle bag slung over he shoulder, Gino made his way into the concrete garage. His footsteps created an echo as he looked around for the inspector. He walked down past a row of cars when the smell of tobacco hit him and he let out a small sigh, shaking his head as he round the corner to find Tsnumori leaning against her car with a cigarette bud in one hand. She appeared to be lost in thought because when she saw him she looked startled, immediately dropping the cigarette and stepping on it to put it out. "Ready to go?" 

"How often do you do that?" he nodded to the bud on the ground as he walked around to the passenger side of the car, getting in. 

"That? Oh-Um… I Don't know." She stammered as she got into her seat buckling up. It was a weak lie and he wasn't sure why it mattered so much to lie about it. Or was she doing it often enough that she needed to lie? 

"Is it that bad?" he asked, keeping his gaze forward as she started the car. The smell of smoke lingering on her clothes. He couldn't be the only one who had picked up on it. Perhaps the others thought it wore off on her from the enforcers. 

"Once a day maybe? I mean, I don't really smoke them I just--" she trailed off, "Sorry to have you accompany me. I know tomorrow was your day off."

Ginoza waved his hand in dismissal "Don't worry about it. I rather be with you." 

There was an awkward pause and he realized how that sounded. His eyes went wide and his cheeks grew warm "er- I mean. Not like that. Just as in, I was worried about you. About the case." 

There was a quiet laugh from her and that only made him blush even more. "It's alright. I know what you mean, Ginoza-San. It'll be nice not to have some company."

Gino let out a breath he wasn't aware that he had been holding. An awkward silence settled between them and he really didn't want to be the one to break it. But he felt like he should be the one to bring it up considering he had kissed her and he had nearly done so again at the nightclub. It didn't seem right to wait until she brought it up. "Tsunemori-San?" He asked. 

"Hmm?" 

His hand came up to run at the back of his head, trying to figure out the best way to phrase his sentence. "I.. I wanted to apologize for my behavior lately. I haven't been very professional." He waited for a moment to see if she would say anything but when she didn't he continued. "After everything that happened, after losing my father and Ko I've just felt this void. I guess I'm just lonely." He gave her a shy smile only to find her staring out the window, not even looking at him. He sighed, feeling like he was only digging himself a deeper grave when it came to the friendship that just began to form between them. "But that isn't an excuse for me to act the way I did. I've… I've never been good with women and trusting people isn't my strong suit either. I just-- I want to make sure I didn't ruin the trust we had before." She turned back to face him, her eyes watering and he suddenly felt guilty. Did he cause that? Should he have worded things better? 

"It's okay." She muttered, giving him a soft smile, wiping away her tears. "I get it. I feel the same way. It's been hard for me too."

Ginoza gave her a soft smile, lifting his hand to wipe a stray tear away from her cheek as he leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. "You don't have to go through it alone."

She gave him a soft nod "Nor do you." She muttered as the car came to a slow stop, signaling that they had arrived at her place. He grabbed his bag as they both made their way out of the car, heading up to the front door. "I didn't have time to clean. So excuse any messes."

He snorted, "I'd like to see what you call a mess, Inspector." She walked in front of him to get to the door, unlocking it and opening it. The lights to the dark house immediately came on and a pink floating jellyfish appeared at eye level. "Welcome home Akane-Chan!" it said in a cheerful voice and Ginoza tensed for a brief moment, startled by the little thing. 

"Sorry." Akane said sheepishly as she made her way into her house "This is Candy."

As he walked further into her home the pink jellyfish floated around him, clasping two little tentacles together. "Ooh~ he's handsome! Would you like me to prepare some refreshments?" 

Akane immediately grew flustered and wavered the A.I off. "No, nothing like that. He's a friend from work." and Gino had to admit it was kinda cute seeing her like this. At times he forgot how young she still was. 

Candy eyed the pair briefly before commenting. "If you say so, Akane-Chan!" and the inspector pushed a button on her wrist, making the A.I vanish. 

She looked back at Gino, her cheeks still a slight red. "Sorry about that. Candy is very enthusiastic and I never bring anyone home so she just got excited."

He gave her a small smile "It's fine, inspector." her house was as he expected it to be. Small living room off to the left and further back was an open kitchen and dining area. The hall to his right probably led to her bedroom. It was a neat, cozy area. 

"Unfortunately you'll have to sleep on the couch. If I had known ahead of time I would have brought something out for you. She took her shoes off before walking further into her apartment and he did the same. 

"The couch is fine." He made his way to set his bag down beside it, taking off his blazer and laying on the side of the couch. Then he started to work on unbuttoning his shirt. It was still a bit tricky with his left hand but he seemed to be improving. When he undid the last button he shrugged off the shirt, laying on top of his jacket. Gino could feel her eyes on him and he tried hard not to flush. "Should I have left my shirt on?" He wasn't expecting a response, more of a way to let her know that he could tell she was staring. 

He heard her voice hitch. "No-no. Sorry I just… I wasn't expecting you to just start undressing." 

He probably could have waited until she left the room but it was a long day and Ginoza was tired. He flopped onto the couch letting out a muffled "Sorry. Probably should have waited." 

"No. You're fine." She reassured me . "Let me grab you a blanket." She left the room for a brief moment, coming back with a soft looking throw, draping it on top of him like a mother would. She was always so caring, helpful. It wasn't hard to see why everyone took such a liking to her. "Does it hurt? Your arm?" 

"No." He muttered, closing his eyes. "It used to when they were getting everything fitted but not anymore."

"Good. Goodnight Gino-San." 

"Night, Tsunemori-San" he mumbled before drifting off. 

* * *

He was an early bird. He woke up just before the sun started to rise and with not much to do and not wanting to snoop around his inspectors house, he decided to cook. He wasn't fantastic at it but he knew how to do the simple things like eggs, rice, that sort of thing. And with the stuff Tsunemori had in her fridge he made some rice omelettes for the both of them and started brewing some coffee. Candy was hovering over him like a pet. It reminded him of Dime whenever he would get up to get breakfast in the morning, only Candy was an A.I. And she seemed to be overly fascinated by the fact that her owner had brought home a guest. Wanting to ask Gino a list of questions regarding his background and how he knew Akane-Chan. It was amusing. He wondered if Akane talked to her on occasion to keep herself from getting lonely. 

He frowned at that thought. The apartment was nice but it was also big and empty. And the inspector seemed to have little time from her job nowadays. Did she still hang out with friends? How did she manage to keep her hue so clear like this? 

The sound of the bedroom door opening pulled him out of his thoughts. He had just set the omelettes on the plates when she walked into the kitchen. The small inspector was rubbing her eyes and yawning. Parts of her hair sticking straight up from how she slept and she was wearing a cute pair of pink pajamas with small bunnies on them. She had to still be half asleep because he couldn't imagine Akane coming out of her room like this if she had remembered she had company. Not that he minded at all, it was refreshing to see her in normal clothes. Even if it was pajamas. "Good morning, inspector." 

She jumped at the noise, blinking several times as she took a look around before glancing down at herself and realizing. "Oh." she muttered a bit sheepishly. "I should probably go change."

Ginoza shrugged. He was only wearing a pair of sweats and a white tank top "I don't mind." he said as he took the plays to the table before going back to the coffee. "I woke up earlier so I decided to make some breakfast." 

"Thank you. But you didn't have to, Candy could have made something." She came over to grab a pair of mugs for the coffee, running her hand through her hair to try and tame it a bit. 

"It's been a while since I've had the time to cook so I figured why not." He turned around from the coffee maker, bumping into her. Sometimes he forgot how big of a height difference there was between the two of them and how small she was. He nearly knocked her over but he caught her by the waist, pulling her against him to help steady her. "Sorry" he apologized and she looked up at their eyes meeting. 

He felt that desire in him again and he lossend the grip he had on her waist but didn't pull himself away. He should have, but she wasn't pulling away either. He stared down at her, watching her and he saw her eyes dart from his down to his lips and back up again. One of her hands gripped his white tank and she stood up on her tiptoes to get closer to him. He was hesitant to lean down and meet her, his eyes staring intently into hers and she stopped just before their lips met, watching his eyes. Asking. 

"I don't want to drag you down with me." He whispered. 

"It's okay Nobuchika." She said gently before closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his. It was such a soft and timid kiss. His hands came up to cup her jaw, keeping it gentle, wanting to be delicate with her. Not because he was afraid she would break but because he wanted to be able to take in everything like he hadn't been able to before. From the smell of her hair to how soft her lips were. How her hand only clutched his shirt tighter and she pressed herself tighter against him. 

It was him that broke away. His cheeks warm as he stared down at her, unsure of where this was headed. "I-- Um. I made breakfast." That felt like the dumbest thing he could say after kissing a girl but he had no idea what else to say to her.

She gave him a soft laugh, pulling away "We should eat it before it gets cold."

Gino nodded, wearing a smile. Maybe he wasn't the only one with these feelings after all…. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean for it to end up this well but here we are.
> 
> Rest assured there will be more than just kissing coming up ;) 
> 
> I also have a tumblr under the same name if anybody would like to talk or anything.


	4. 6 years is a long time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kougami comes back to Japan he learns Gino has been hiding something from him

When Ginoza was first approached by Hanashiro to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he declined. He wanted to remain at Akane's side. But when Sibyl locked her up, denying letting anyone besides her parents to see her, he was angry. 

Hanashiro again asked if he wanted to join. Togane had accepted after Tsunemori became incarcerated but it took him a while longer to come to terms with the idea that the MWPSB was somewhere he no longer needed to be. The woman also failed to mention who else she had picked up along the way and when he finally accepted her offer she introduced him to his team. His eyes went wide when he saw the man standing there with a cigarette in his mouth, wearing a smug smirk. It was almost insulting how relaxed he seemed to be after all this time. "Kougami." He muttered. 

"Nice to see you too, Gino." he came up and patted his friend on his shoulder, "I was given a pardon."

For the first time since Akane left, Ginoza smiled. At least he had an old friend back. "It's been hell." He said honestly and Togane who was off to the side nodded. 

He saw Ko swallow hard, looking away "Yeah, I heard." He pulled his hand away, straightening up as he looked back at the blonde before addressing his friend again. "Instead of the hounds of the MWPSB we're her attack dogs now. We're still considered latent criminals but because we're trusted we aren't under a strict policy like the hounds were."

Hanashiro nodded, stepping forward. "We'll be keeping tabs on you. I've arranged so the three of you can share housing together. As long as no one breaks protocol too often, you should be fine." She flashed Kougami a small smirk. "I'll trust you guys to make sure he gets settled in." She headed back to her car, leaving Gino still in shock. 

He got his freedom back, and his old friend. The only one who was missing now was Tsunemori…

* * *

He had been with them for a little over a month. It was easier to adjust than he previously thought, even Dime enjoyed the extra company and he took a special liking to Ko. Ginoza was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, a glass of whiskey in one hand. He could hear his friend from down the hall, beating the hell out of the poor punching bag he had. It hadn't been a good day for either of the three men. The inspector's trial was delayed again and they were still refusing to allow any visitors. They weren't even allowing Kougami to contact her and he could tell his patience was wearing thin.

Gino didn't say anything, he had no advice to give to his friend so he settled for a drink, hoping it would dull the ache he felt. 

Togane walked in, grabbing a glass to pour himself a drink as well. "It's been nearly an hour." he stated. 

"He'll continue until his knuckles bleed." Gino assumed, taking a sip of the golden liquid. 

"You're handling this well yourself." he stated. 

Able to pick up the words Togane didn't say, he rose a brow, looking at him warily. "What is that supposed to mean?" 

The black haired man shrugged, "You know what I'm saying, Ginoza-San." he said dryly. 

"She's a good friend." He glanced down at his drink before looking over to the hall where the noise of the punching bag being hit started to dwindle. "But they've always had some special connection."

Togane glanced down the hall before looking back at Gino. "Does he know?" 

"Know what?" He was playing dumb. It was a useless attempt but he didn't want to out their secret still. 

He snorted, taking a sip of the whiskey. "You really want me to come out and say it?" 

"Say what?" Kougami walked out from the hall with a towel around his neck and in a pair of sweats. He looked less irritated which was good but now his attention was on the conversation. Togane looked over to Gino, expecting him to say something. But how did you word these things? There was no guide for him to go off. And no way to gage what Ko's reaction would be to it. 

"I- it's, it's nothing." Gino looked away, taking a long sip of his whiskey but the feeling of Kougami's stare didn't leave him. He probably heard enough of the conversation to have an idea of what they were talking about. 

Ko shifted his gaze for a brief moment to Togane who just raised his hands, wanting to stay out of it. "I'm not going to be apart of this." He said, grabbing his glass before he headed out of the kitchen. 

Ginoza sighed, drinking whatever was left in his glass before he sat it down on the counter. "Six years is a long time to be gone, Ko."

He nodded, stepping further into the kitchen, putting his hands into his pockets "I know."

But did he? Did he truly realize how long those years were to the people who cared about him? His mother, Akane, him? All the times he spent holding Akane in his arm as she lit the cigarette, just to be reminded of him. Asking him if he still believed Shinya was still alive somewhere? 

"You don't." Nobuchika shot back. "You don't understand what that was like to the people you left behind. You were selfish, and you made everyone who cared for you suffer because of it."

"We couldn't just let him live!" Ko nearly shouted. "That wasn't an option."

"It was to Akane-chan." He muttered, not even realizing he had spoken her first name but the significance of it didn't slip past the ex enforcer. 

Kougami swallowed hard, forcing himself to relax. Fighting would do neither of them good. "you-- are you two, what, a thing?" 

"No." He said firmly. Ginoza wanted to just come out and say it, that they fucked, get away from the awkwardness that had settled between them. But Akane didn't deserve to be talked about in such a crude manner. And there was more to it than just that. "We were close. After everything that happened it was difficult. She helped keep me sane. Over time things did get heated between us but we were never a thing. It was more out of just… Needing somebody." He said softly, looking down at the floor. "Do you understand how many nights I spent holding her? How many times we sat in silence as she lit your cigarettes just so she could take in the smell? How many times we visited your mother because she wanted to make sure she was doing well?" He shook his head, pushing himself away from the counter. "But sure, go ahead and feel jealous." Ginoza said bitterly. 

Ko sighed, "Gino. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" 

"I don't want to hear it." He shot back. "She's one of the closest people I have in my life. I've spent the last several years watching her grow, watching how strong she's become. But no matter how strong she became, she could never let you go. Neither of us could. But you come back in our lives and you're angry that you can't see her. Do you know how fucking long I've been waiting to see her?" He felt his eyes began to water and he looked away from his old friend. He didn't want to get emotional about this. 

"I've been waiting too." Shinya said. His voice still sounded rough and almost irritated but that has always been how his friend sounded when he tried to be understanding or gentle about these things. Between the two of them, Gino was always the more emotional one. "I just--I thought I would never get this chance again so when it was given to me… I was happy. Happy to come home and see Ma, happy to stop running. And it was hard. To come back, hoping to see her after so long and to hear she's locked up? Akane-San out of all the people is imprisoned...I mean to be fair, I've always known she's had her own way of doing things but I never thought it would lead her here…"

"It's been months…" Ginoza muttered, eyes staring down at the floor. "Is she okay? Has Sibyl hurt her? I don't know…" he whispered. 

Kougami moved closer to his old friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She's tough. Probably tougher than both of our sorry asses. She'll get through this."

"Yeah." Nobuchika said with a small laugh, bringing up his flesh hand to wipe a single tear away. "She's a lot different than the small girl we met on the first day."

Ko grinned, "I think she had the same attitude then. Hell, she fucking shot me. But I think now, she's grown more confident in herself which makes her so much more dangerous."

He snorted, looking over at his friend as a smile tugged at his lips. "truthfully, I was glad someone finally shot your cocky ass. Even before you were demoted you were terrible at listening."

"Seems nothing has changed too much in that aspect." Kougami stated and he patted his friends shoulder before pulling away. "Let's spar. We haven't done that in a while and I think hitting you will be a more effective way of getting my anger out."

He sighed, "Why do I feel like you want to punch me to begin with?" 

"Oh, I do." Ko shot him a smirk "Even though it was her decision and she's a grown ass adult, doesn't mean I can't still be irritated at you for doing it." 

"I think she would disapprove of us using violence to solve our problems." He said in a teasing tone as he moved away from the counter, heading towards the hall.

"Good thing she isn't here." Kougami said as he followed after him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sat on this chapter for a while because I didn't want to publish anything under 2k. But no matter how I adjusted it I just couldn't seem to get it to that point :(
> 
> I've had this idea for a while and just decided to hell with it, I'll write it now and give a little peak into the future.


End file.
